Evergreen Health and Community Access Services of WNY are seeking City approvals for a new healthcare facility at the corner of Kensington and Bailey avenues. The organizations, currently in leased space at 3297 Bailey Avenue, are working with Uniland Development on the three-story, 36,000 sq.ft. building.
From the Project application:
In January 2023 Evergreen Health purchased four vacant land parcels at the intersection of Bailey and Kensington Avenues, only a half mile away from the present location that Evergreen and CAS have outgrown. To accommodate the growth and integration of critical infrastructure, Evergreen will construct a new facility that will offer expanded services to the community with occupancy planned for spring 2026.
While meeting current needs is a baseline, the agency also seeks to transform its presence and incorporate the full scope of its holistic continuum of care in the new facility – essentially replicating its flagship Evergreen Center located on Buffalo’s West Side for the East Side community. The new building will continue co-location of Evergreen Health and Community Access Services and include the following expansions and enhancements:
⋅ Continued and expanded CAS services provided by a staff of 21 employees including HIV prevention, testing and education for women and men in communities of color; community mobilization to improve awareness of HIV prevention and treatment progress, a food pantry, employment readiness services, and reentry support for people in the criminal justice system.
⋅ Expanded primary and specialty care to include HIV and Hepatitis C care and gynecological care with 6-8 exam rooms, 2 consult rooms, 3.5 medical providers, and 9 support staff. Of note is that the next closest medical provider to the proposed location is 1.4 miles or a 30-minute walk.
⋅ Pharmacy services to serve both Evergreen patients and the broader community. The 14215 zip code is currently underserved by national pharmacy chains and, given the current trend of pharmacy closings nationwide, could find itself without pharmacy services in the future if not for Evergreen’s plan to include a pharmacy in their new development at Kensington and Bailey Avenues. Please note, Evergreen has two pharmacies operating at other City of Buffalo locations but is currently unable to provide on-site pharmacy services at our 3297 Bailey Avenue location due to space constraints.
⋅ Room to establish on-site Care Coordination services. Care Coordinators serve in a social work capacity and work with patients to coordinate the healthcare services they receive at Evergreen Health including assistance with scheduling and keeping primary and specialty care appointments, counseling, and connection with housing, nutrition and transportation services provided by Evergreen and our partner organizations.
⋅ An onsite patient Financial Counseling Center, multi-use small and large meeting room(s) with kitchen access for lease or free to community groups and block clubs; office space for community partners such as SIPA, Buffalo Urban League, Neighborhood Legal Services, Say Yes Buffalo, and senior services.
Evergreen Health and CAS worked closely with Hallmark Planning & Development, a Buffalo-based minority urban planning consulting firm specializing in community planning, public engagement, placemaking, and commercial real estate, on community outreach efforts.
The Planning Board will review the project on Tuesday. CPL Architecture Engineering and Planning designed the building.